Not all my tomatoes have ripened, and as we go deeper into October I’m afraid they never will. That gave me the chance to make this wonderful chutney ( thank you David Lebovitz for the inspiration )
Green tomato and apple chutney
450 g green tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks.
A firm apple, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 dried chilies, split and seeded, or 1 fresh chili, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup coconut nectar
1-2 tablespoons honey (if you like more sweetness)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
zest of one orange
Mix together all the ingredients in a suitable pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook, stirring frequently, for 45 minutes, until the mixture is thick and jam-like. Once finished, ladle the chutney into clean air tight jars and store in the fridge for max a month.

Summer is THE time to enjoy this fantastic fruit (yes, it is a fruit, botanically speaking ). Add them to your salads, turn them into soups or just bite on a juicy, ripe one like an apple. When in season, I like to slowly roast plum cherry tomatoes in my oven.
And here is how you do it:
Wash and half a box (or two) of ripe plum cherry tomatoes, arrange on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, cut side up, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a pinch of raw cane sugar to enhance their flavor, sprinkle a little Italian herb mix if you like and drizzle with some olive oil. Place in an oven and bake on a low temperature (90-100 celsius degrees) for at least 4-5 hours. You want to get a semi dry but still soft and moist product. When cooled down, transfer to a glass container to keep in the fridge for a week. You can add extra oil to the container as a preservative and some fresh herbs for flavor. Now you have delicious freshly dried tomatoes to top your salads, pastas or sandwiches.

For most people, food wise, Italy is associated with pizza, pasta, gelato etc. But for me, only the thought of going to this beautiful country is associated with the most delicious VEGETABLES on the planet! And what vegetables! I love every aspect of the food in Italy; the Italians are taking their food very seriously, they are already making plans in the morning for dinner, talk about it and decide about the menu and shopping accordingly. One of the things that captured my eyes from the very first time I visited the country was that even in the tiniest back garden you will find a little vegetable patch. Who ever can, will grow some tomatoes, few aubergine and zucchini plant, all nicely groomed and very efficiently tucked next to each other.
My family and I just spent a magical week in Sicily. As always, we rented a self catering accommodation, a beautiful country house on the slopes of mount Etna. The volcanic soil is so rich with minerals and the sun shines most of the days results in the most tasty, full of flavor vegetable like I haven’t tasted anywhere. Freshness plays an important factor as well. In every corner of the street I was happy to see local farmers offering a cart-full of goodness, freshly picked earlier in the morning.
Spring time is artichoke time and broad beans and asparagus ….. When I stopped next to one of those lusciously loaded veg cart to buy few artichokes for lunch, the lady convinced me to get a whole bunch of them as she doesn’t sell them less of thirty… Eat eat! It good for you she said, and so I was heading back with a huge bunch of them to find four happy faces looking at me. Luckily, artichokes are a big favorite in my family. And since the vegetables are so delicious I say keep it simple, just quickly boil them, pluck the leaves and dip in in a dressing made from good quality mayonnaise , olive oil, garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper. Viola! If you have more time to mess with it, then cut and prepare the artichoke so you are left only with the hearts and few inner leaves, lightly cook in a broth, drain and dress with plenty of good quality virgin olive oil, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. This will keep in the fridge for few days to take part in any salad, sandwich or pasta.
One beautiful sunny morning our host, Allesandro, took us for a long walk around his estate, through rows of budding vines and into the wild nature and taught us how to pick wild asparagus. We could not spot them at the beginning but when we learnt what to look for we couldn’t have enough of these gentle young stalks. Once back in the house I made some grilled polenta and simply tossed the wild asparagus in some olive oil, salt and pepper and topped every slice of polenta with a heap of green deliciousness.
Here below I am happy to share with you the photos and my grilled polenta recipe. Enjoy!

Artichokes in Sicily and pure delight

Artichokes, so fresh and full of flavor there’re is no need to do much. Steam, season and drizzle with good old olive oil!

Polenta on the Grill
Serves 4
You will need
110g / ¾ cup instant polenta
240ml / 2 cups water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
80g parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
fresh basil leaves to garnish
extra olive oil for greasing
1. Line the base of the cake tin with greaseproof paper and oil the sides.
2. Place the polenta in the pan together with the water. Add the oil, thyme and chilli flakes. Bring to the boil over a medium heat.
3. Let the polenta simmer for 7 minutes over a low heat whilst stirring constantly. Mash any lumps with the back of the wooden spoon.
4. Remove the polenta from the heat and immediately stir in the cheese. Mix thoroughly.
5. Pour the polenta into the cake tin and smooth the top. Leave aside to cool and set for 1 hour.
6. Set the oven to grill mode. Place the polenta cake under the hot grill, and grill until it’s piping hot and the crust has browned a little, about 6-8 minutes (depending on your grill). 7. To serve, slice into individual portions and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve at once.

MY WEEKLY TIP

Have you ever found yourself staring at your open fridge or larder, scanning the products and ingredients and have absolutely no idea what to make with them, or what do you feel like eating?
And what if this situation repeats itself again and again over a period of time?
Well, you are experiencing a ‘cooking crisis’. It happens to the best of cooks!
Here are some key strategy solutions to over come the crisis:
1. Go back to basics, opt for the most simple recipes that always work.
2. Make a list of your all time favourites and stick to them for some time till you feel creativity is crawling back.
3. Focus on one ingredient you have or feel like eating and look for recipes using it as the main ingredient.
4. Think of what type of dish you feel like eating; soup, salad, burgers, pie etc. and look for a recipe for that.
5. Cook together with friends and family or initiate potluck dinners. Sharing cooking and eating with others can inspire you and boost your creativity in the kitchen.